**Author details**

Cristina Brito

218 New Approaches to the Study of Marine Mammals

**Figure 5.** Geographical migration of Basque and Portuguese early modern whaling through the Atlantic (map) and temporal migration (graph) showing the years of the beginning and end of the activity in each area. Data compiled from Aguilar (1986), Reeves & Smith (2006) and Brito (2011).

**5. A future glimpse into the environmental history of marine mammals** 

Many centuries ago, the Atlantic experienced a (near) pristine situation regarding ocean environmental equilibrium. Levels of the populations of predators and prey were relatively stable and fluctuated naturally. Natural disasters happened with much more localized effects and the impacts of climatic shifts were gradual and predictable. Marine resources were historically exploited, however, until the advent of industrialization, rapid depletion and ecological tipping effects were hindered by lack of technological advances. Industrial *CHAM (Centre for Overseas History), Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Universidade dos Açores, Lisbon, Portugal Escola de Mar, Edifício ICAT, Campus da FCUL, Campo Grande, Lisbon, Portugal* 
